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Photo Gallery: Celebrities, Community Gather for Cocktails for a Cause
Funds were raised for Operation Backpack at the Cocktails for a Cause event Thursday evening in Troy, in what organizers deem "an amazing turnout."
Imagine dining on hors d'oeuvres, mingling with celebrities and supporting a local charity all at the same time.
Such was the setting in Thursday night in Troy at the first ever event at .
Familiar faces including former Detroit Lions Lomas Brown, Biggest Loser Winner Helen Philips, WXYZ-TV’s Erin Nicole, Pistons reporter Heather Zara and others acted as bartenders for the night, as more than 130 attendees came out to support the Volunteers of America’s Operation Backpack. The program donates new backpacks equipped with school supplies to Michigan’s low-income children and their families.
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“Operation Backpack provides backpacks for disadvantaged children as a way to get them started and on par with those that have these resources,” said Alex Brodrick, CEO of Volunteers of America Michigan. “We fill the backpack with all the supplies they need for the year and they get it before they start school, so they go competing with all the other children.”
A silent auction of Detroit sports memorabilia and other items was held as guests enjoyed the different drinks being served with each local celebrity mixing up their own specialty.
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“It’s really important that adults are getting together and raising this awareness and focusing on children because they are our future,” said Helen Phillips, guest bartender. “Everyone here is having a great time, enjoying themselves and what's a better way to do that than giving back to the community.”
The money generated at “Cocktails for a Cause” will go toward providing backpacks for 2,000 elementary-aged children.
“It means so much to have people that support our work here, it’s an opportunity to make a contribution to something very specific,” added Brodrick. “When you give a kid a backpack, you’re giving him the chance to compete in school and we know that if you’re not going to compete in school, you’re not going to compete in life.”
To find out more about Operation Backpack or how to donate, visit the Volunteers of America website.
